The Marcos de Niza Padres's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fifth straight loss. They took a 61-52 hit to the loss column at the hands of Mesquite. Marcos de Niza has struggled against Mesquite recently, as their contest on Friday was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.
Marcos de Niza's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Dj Drew, who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of James Steward, who scored 14 points along with nine rebounds and two blocks.
Mesquite found their leader in underclassman Desean Middlebrook, who scored 26 points along with three steals. Middlebrook is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last nine games he's played. Jaylen Wollangk was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with five assists and four steals.
Marcos de Niza has not been sharp recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-13 record this season. As for Mesquite, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 17-4.
Marcos de Niza will head out on the road to challenge Arcadia at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Arcadia is out to stop a three-game streak of losses at home. As for Mesquite, Mesquite and St. Mary's will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 23rd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. St. Mary's has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 612 points over their last eight games.
